From the Gallows
by obsessedwithstabler
Summary: He stayed beside her until she was sleeping. In a few days their entire group had been reunited. They had lost so many at the prison and undoubtedly they would lose more. For tonight, however, everyone was together and safe, and he couldn't have asked for more. Follow up to 5x1, No Sanctuary. Caryl heavily implied.


Another oneshot for No Sanctuary, one of the best episodes I've seen from this amazing show. It takes place a few days after the credits roll, and Caryl is heavily implied. Enjoy and please review.

Disclaimer: Not mine!

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In the end, it was pure coincidence and a tremendous amount of good luck that reunited the group with Beth.

They were moving, always moving, after the aftermath of the shit storm that was Terminus. They struggled from day to day, but they had each other and that was more than they could have hoped for after what they had been through. Rick couldn't bring himself to put Judith down, even for a moment, and Carol stayed closer to Daryl than anyone else.

They had been walking for six days when they found a run down, pitiful excuse for a house. It wasn't much, but it was a roof and Rick and Tyreese quickly went in and searched the place before deeming it suitable enough to provide shelter for a few days. A collective sense of relief settled over the group, no matter how temporary it was.

The house had been abandoned sometime back, but there were several beds and pieces of furniture that could serve as sleeping spots. As the sun sank, a chill settled over the drafty house.

Rick and Tyreese were the first to take watch. The sleeping spots were divided and Carol found herself with a small twin bed to sleep in. As she sat down, she saw Daryl enter with a blanket draped over his arm. "Hey."

He nodded and placed his blanket on the floor in front of Carol's bed.

"Why are you-"

"Because," he interrupted gruffly.

"Oh." A small smile made its way onto her face as she laid down.

Daryl lowered himself to the floor and turned so that he could see the door.

"Good night, Daryl." Her soft voice broke the silence of the room, and he imagined her smile in the darkness.

"Night."

* * *

><p>As the night progressed, the temperature plummeted. Maggie and Glenn held each other tighter, Carl curled closer to his infant sister and Sasha and Bob huddled together under their blanket.<p>

Upstairs, Carol startled awake and trembled in the cold night air. Something had disturbed her sleep, but she wasn't certain what until she peered over the side of the bed. Daryl was still asleep on the floor, but it was not a peaceful sleep. He jerked and moved restlessly, mumbling incoherently.

Still half-asleep, Carol slipped off of her bed and onto Daryl's pallet. They were both shivering and she didn't give a second thought before curling up with him.

At first he tensed, clearly uncertain even in sleep. Carol pressed closer to him before fumbling for his blanket and dragging it over them. Then she snuggled closer to Daryl and yawned before closing her eyes again. She was finally warming up and he seemed to settle down, so she stretched and let sleep come over her again.

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Dawn was coming and Rick was still wide awake, his body tense and ready for action. He could hear Tyreese moving on the other side of the house, also keeping watch. He scanned the surrounding woods again, but this time he saw something.

Rising to his feet, he reached for his knife as the figure came closer. The only light came from the dimming moon and it only cast a shadow over the approaching figure. He walked down the steps, prepared to kill. Then he heard it.

"Rick?"

The knife fell from his hand. "Beth?"

Seconds later, Beth flung herself into his arms and hugged him tight. He froze briefly before wrapping his arms around her slight frame.

She pressed her face into his shoulder as she cried tears of relief. Rick stood there, stunned.

"How?"

Beth finally pulled back. "Maggie? Is Maggie here?"

"Yeah. Yeah, she's here."

"And Judith? Carl?"

"They're all here."

"Thank God."

He pulled back and studied her filthy face. "Where have you been? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"Well, let's get you inside." He stopped long enough to speak with a stunned Tyreese before leading Beth inside. Everyone was sleeping and she and Rick were quiet as they made their way to the back of the house.

"Carol and Daryl are in here…" His voice trailed off when they both saw Carol sharing Daryl's pallet. The two were curled around each other and sleeping deeply.

Surprised, Beth cleared her throat and looked away.

Daryl opened one eye and looked at Beth with a stunned and confused expression. "Beth. You're alive."

She nodded.

"Good. 'm glad." Still very tired, Daryl turned over and gathered Carol closer to his chest.

At a loss, Beth slipped back out of the room. Rick followed close behind.

Everyone else was still sleeping and Beth found an open spot beside the bed her sister and Glenn shared. She wanted to wake Maggie up but morning was almost there and she needed some sleep, so she laid down on a blanket Rick offered her.

Rick crouched down by her small pallet. "Alright?"

"Mm hmm." Her eyes were already closing.

He smiled warmly and tugged a blanket over the young woman. "It's good to have you back, Beth."

Beth smiled and rested her head on her arm. "Glad to be back."

"Get some sleep. We'll talk more in the morning."

"Okay."

Rick stayed beside her until she was sleeping. In a few days their entire group had been reunited. They had lost so many at the prison and undoubtedly they would lose more. For tonight, however, everyone was together and safe, and he couldn't have asked for more.

The End.


End file.
